How to Streamline Your Kitchen & Get Cooking

Many times we get stuck in a rut in our kitchens. There’s stuff everywhere and in no particular order. The first thing to do is to take stock of what you have versus what you really need. These are just a few suggestions that may help you make your kitchen easier to use and less cluttered.

#1. Prioritize Gadgets & Appliances: You may have a lot of gadgets and appliances that you almost never use. If you can part with something and sell or donate it, then you will have more space for things, like a blender, that you use all of the time. Try to keep the appliances that have multiple functions.

#2. Tackle the Coffee Mugs: Another people seem to collect are coffee mugs. Take stock of how many you actually need and clear some shelf space, by culling through and keeping your favorites.

#3. Have a set place for things: Plastic bags and plastic wrap should be kept at the ready in an easily reached drawer. Clothes pins and clips come in handy, when organizing your pantry to close up open bags of chips and pasta. I keep my pasta and rice in upright clear containers from the Container Store. They don’t take up much space, so I keep them on the counter. If you have enough room in your pantry, they can go there as well.

#4. Get your pantry is good working order: Keep like with like and try not to have too much of everything, so you feel overwhelmed. It’s good to be prepared, but maybe the garage is a better place for large cases from Costco shopping sprees.

#5. Label and organize your fridge: Having a nicely labeled fridge can save a lot of time. Dating leftovers and putting things in a place where you can see them will save money on food waste and make it easier for day to day tasks.

Overall, kitchens work better when you can easily see everything and everything has it’s own space.

This article is a guest post by Jessica Schanberg of Chicago based Pixel Peony. She is a computer savvy Personal Assistant and Personal Organizer/Graphic Designer. As an organizer, Jessica is adept at creating systems for her clients that help them to live better clutter-free lives in their environments.